Maharey: Government to respond to challenge of social entrepreneurs

Social Services and Employment Minister Steve Maharey says that social entrepreneurship mounts a challenge to traditional forms of government and public service.

“This is about addressing disadvantages and deficits in our communities. It is about dealing to material poverty and disadvantage in new and innovative ways. The Labour Alliance Government stands ready to explore new and innovative ways of central government delivery suggested by the notion of social entrepreneurship.

“Social entrepreneurship is characterised by four defining features:

“Firstly, they are firmly rooted in the local or the community context, with all this suggests for process and for empowerment.

“Secondly, they are initiatives with a strong focus on outcomes that are real and tangible – it’s about fixing things.

“Thirdly, social entrepreneurship is about growing social capital - a social entrepreneur takes the same approach to risk, opportunity and innovation as a business entrepreneur, but in pursuit of social rather than commercial objectives.

“And fourthly, it is about partnerships – partnerships between social entrepreneurs and business, between social entrepreneurs and local government, and between social entrepreneurs and central government.

“The Government is putting in over $1.8 million this year to fund social entrepreneurs throughout the country – social entrepreneurs working in fields like community employment and development, keeping young people safe in our communities, and building community infrastructure and facilities,” Steve Maharey said.

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>